SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2006

OUTSIDE THE BOX
Old Meets New : Project FZJ-45

by Nolen Grogan

Gary Coberly-Waggoner is a guy with some great  Cruisers. Unlike other Cruiserheads out there   who own a ton of different Cruisers, or those that have the nicest restorations, Gary’s Cruisers just flat kick ass. As evidence of this, Gary is batting 3 for 3 on the Nicest Cruiser award at Cruise Moab. The first year he went he won with his 502 Mercruiser powered FJ62; next was with his HJ61; and then he beat out the nicest field of candidates to date to take this year’s prize with his latest creation, the FZJ-45 pickup.

The thing that sets Gary’s rigs apart is that they are unique. Take the HJ61—not only is it the cleanest, most fully equipped 60 series I have ever seen, but Gary took it and sprung it over, slapped some 35s on it and wheeled the heck out of it! That is what makes Gary’s rigs cool. Form and function.

The FZJ-45 is by far Gary’s most ambitious project to date. Gary took a very nice FJ45 long wheelbase pickup and modified an FZJ80 series to work with the 45. It is important to note that the 80 was modified to fit the 45, not the other way around, which would have been much easier.

Gary started this project in February 2005 after thinking, measuring and drawing for over a year. 1,200 hours of build time and many long nights later, the FZJ-45 was born. With every thought toward a low center of gravity, the chassis was redesigned to work under the FJ45 body.

One example of what Gary did to keep the center of gravity low was in building the custom 24 gallon aluminum fuel cell. It was designed to slide in between the frame rails and sit with 2/3 of it hanging below to keep the weight as low and centered as possible. Also, the custom battery box was built in the center of the frame and kept low as well.

The reason the project was built around a stock 1996 FZJ80 was twofold. First was the vehicle’s reliability. Using the FZJ80 from tip to tail allowed for ease of maintenance and troubleshooting during the build and on the trail. Second, 80 series wagons flat-out work great on the trail. Those of us who have wheeled them or those who have wheeled with them know that there was never a better designed Cruiser as a whole imported into the United States. Factory electric lockers front and rear, coil springs, automatic transmission and a full floating rear axle are some of the things that make the 80 series a great choice for a project like Gary’s. The main limiting factors for 80 series wagons are physical size and weight.

Gary’s FZJ-45 project took care of both of these limiting factors. Gary shortened the FJ45 bed 18" to give a near 90 degree departure angle. This is very important for tough trails and eliminates the departure angle problem experienced with both the 80 series as well as the FJ45. Also, by removing the 80 series body with all the steel and glass, the FZJ-45 weighs in at 4,560 pounds with the hard top installed. That is 1,500-2,000 pounds less than a typical trail-ready FZJ80. You would have to see Gary’s rig on the trail to realize just how much this weight loss means—his rig works great and is nimble and quick.